Lakers’ Chris Manon Wants to Emulate 2 Defensive-Minded NBA Stars

After veteran guard Marcus Smart chose to sign with the Houston Rockets in NBA free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a significant loss in the backcourt, especially from a perimeter defense perspective.

Smart was easily the team’s best defender and was incredibly valuable to the Lakers when healthy during the 2025-26 campaign, as he was also a leader in the locker room.

Although Smart’s departure isn’t ideal, the Lakers have a promising young, defensive-minded guard making an impression this summer. Chris Manon is coming off an impressive performance in the final game of the California Classic, making his presence felt on both ends of the floor.

Lakers’ Chris Manon Wants to Emulate Alex Caruso & Jrue Holiday

After the win over the Miami Heat over the weekend, Manon was asked by Raj Chipalu of Silver Screen and Roll which players he compares himself to, with his answer being former Lakers guard Alex Caruso and two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday.

Asked Lakers two-way Chris Mañon what players he compares himself to:

“Alex Caruso, Jrue Holiday. All these different guys that are pests on the ball and off the ball” pic.twitter.com/YwYoWOGjbd

— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) July 5, 2026

“I try to look at a lot of different guys. Alex Caruso, Jrue Holiday,” Manon said. “All these different guys that are pests on the ball and off the ball. Try to do whatever I can.”

If Manon can get anywhere near the level of Caruso or Holiday, the Lakers may have a very special player to develop moving forward. The team desperately needs a backcourt player who can make an impact on both sides of the ball, which makes Manon an intriguing young player to watch heading into the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this weekend.

For the second straight year, Manon is on the Lakers’ squad for the NBA Summer League, and he’s showing why the team recently inked him to another two-way contract with his play in the California Classic.

Manon joins AK Okereke and Peter Suder on two-way deals with the team. All three players, along with first-round draft pick Cameron Carr, will be put under the microscope during a minimum of five games set to be played at the Thomas & Mack Center, starting with the first matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 10.

Only four games are currently on the Lakers’ Summer League schedule, with the fifth game to be determined by each team’s winning percentage after four games.

Chris Manon’s California Classic Performance

In the three games Manon played in the California Classic, the Vanderbilt product averaged 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, while shooting an impressive 78.9 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Manon helped guide the Lakers to two wins and has definitely gotten the attention of Lakers fans, along with Carr, who also played well in the Bay Area.

Although Manon is far from a finished product, as he needs to improve on guarding without fouling and his free-throw shooting (69.2%), he definitely has an upside that Lakers head coach JJ Redick and the team’s coaching staff can use to their advantage.

The 24-year-old spent the bulk of his time with the then-South Bay Lakers (now Coachella Valley Lakers) in the G League last season and made a considerable impact defensively, coming second in the voting for G League Defensive Player of the Year and earning G League All-Defensive Team honors.

As for Carr, the No. 24 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft finished the California Classic averaging 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game, shooting 42.1 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three-point range. The former Baylor star did miss the second half of the last game due to a toenail issue, but the injury isn’t considered to be serious.

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